Rip Hamilton is not the same All-Star level player from 2005 — he’s a step slower, he can’t create his own shot and his defense is not what it was. That said, he is a huge upgrade for the Bulls at the two guard — he average 14 points a night and shot 38 percent from three last year, numbers that would make the Bulls very, very happy. He is going to run off down screens, move off the ball and give Derrick Rose another target.

Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer are behind him, but Brewer is having a good camp so don’t be shocked to see him get more run off the bench. That said, this is Rip’s starting spot. And closing spot.

In an arms race with the Heat (and to a lesser degree the Knicks) the Bulls just got better.

Unlike what happened with Chauncey Billups ride to Miami (different situation), nobody has gotten in the way of Richard Hamilton landing with the Chicago Bulls.

Hamilton — you know him as Rip — was bought out by the Pistons but has cleared the waiver wire and is now free to sign with the Chicago Bulls, tweets K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

Rip has cleared waivers. Sounds like he’ll be at Bulls practice on Thursday after 2/$10M deal is finalized.

It could be three years, $15 million, the Associated Press reports. That seems like a lot of years from where I sit for a 33-year-old this season who is already showing decline in his game.

Joakim Noah said this about Rip.

“I think (Hamilton) would be a great addition to our team,” Noah said. “He’s obviously a hell of a player, but Ronnie’s (Brewer) been having a great camp right now.”

This is different than what happened to Chauncey Billups because he was amnestied by the Knicks, which meant the Clippers, who were under the salary cap, put in a bid on Billups and only had to take on part of his salary. Because Hamilton was a buyout if you claimed him on waivers you had to pay the full contract price. Nobody wanted to do that so he is a free agent.

And he was always destined for the Bulls if that happened. This is not the 2005 Hamilton, but he doesn’t need to be, what his is right now is a serious upgrade at a need position for the Bulls. Hamilton gave 14.1 points a game to the Pistons and shot 38.2 percent from three last season. That kind of production from the two guard would be huge for the Bulls, suggests Aggrey Sam at CSNChicago.com.

But as for Hamilton’s actual impact in the Windy City, expect the Coatesville, Pa. native to be rejuvenated as he’s on a title contender — as opposed to the past couple of lottery-bound, turmoil-ridden campaigns in Motown — although it’s unlikely that at 33-years-old (34 in February), he can match his prior All-Star level production. Nor is that necessary.

The Chicago Bulls are about to get better. That is bad news for every other team in the East.